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Sunday, June 10, 2012

Guns and shit

So everybody knows I've been bound up for the past month and a half with house guests (absolutely wonderful houseguests, more about them later) and other obligations and haven't been able to do my mountain trip until this weekend.
Let me tell you how bad it's been: Lisa bought me my Mini-14 back in January. I've put less than half a box of rounds through it since then, just enough to make sure it works and shoots in the general direction I want it to go.
So yesterday I took off with my Ruger, 10 or 11 bandoleers of ammo, a fist full of magazines, the new GPS I also haven't used and a bunch of other shit and took off for Sonora Pass with a list of places I wanted to stop and visit, plus a road complex that I at least wanted to get a handle on. I figured to drive up to the top of the Pass and work my way down, taking all day and into the night to do it.
I made the Pass in a little less than 2 hours and headed back down, my first priority to check those roads and find a place to shoot up a shitload of ammo. I figured a couple hours for that and then 3 or 4 more hours to find my way back out even with the GPS. What the fuck, you folks know I have absolutely no sense of direction at all. I also don't trust a GPS. Or a compass either, evidently.
I found a place about 7 miles in that's perfect. Brushy, big trees, lots of boulders and no reason for anybody else to be down there. Great place to shoot.
I started out with five 10 round magazines. I put an orange out at 25 yards, blew it up, another one at 50, and was ready to go - didn't have to make an adjustment to the factory zero at all. If I can hit an orange at 50 yards, I can hit a head at 100. I'm not gonna quibble over a 1/4 MOA adjustment when the rifle is only guarenteed 2 MOA.
 I went around and put little red dot stickers all over the fucking place at different ranges out to about 50 yards and commenced to sharpening up my snap shooting with a new weapon.
I fired from different positions and angles, only stopping long enough to stuff more ammo in the magazines from strippers, almost continuous aimed semiautomatic fire. The only malfunction I had was a failure to feed on the 2nd magazine and it felt funny when I seated it. After I reloaded the mags, the same one gave me another failure. When I tossed that magazine, the problem went away.
I tell you what, that fucking rifle got hot but kept hammering them out, even in the contorted positions I was attempting to fire from. I'm glad no one else was around, the laughter and harassment would've been intolerable. It performed flawlessly and all those 10 round magazines kept me busy reloading from firing positions which I needed the practice doing, thank you Kalifornia.
I'm a firm believer in range work until you get your weapon down as far as zeroing and positioning goes but after that you need to get you and your Pride and Joy out in the environment you think you're going to working in and do some live fire drills. You have to make sure you can hit what you're fucking aiming at from a position other than a bench rest, and yes, your point of aim does shift when you're shooting from a prone position with a big motherfucking tree root jabbing you in the ribs. You have to make sure you're hitting where you're aiming, I don't care if you're hanging from a fucking tree, make sure you can hit while you're doing it - your life depends on it.
I lay no claim to being an expert on anything, especially tactics and techniques but I do know that I need improvement on my practical shooting. Fuck, everybody does. So today I practiced and even got a couple pictures thanks to a handy rock to set my camera on. I tried video but I looked even dumber than I do in still photos.


























Cranking off a few rounds using a big ass tree for cover. There's a big pointed stick that I'm kneeling on poking me right in the balls. Talk about my point of aim shifting.....




























From a gook squat. That's my last ditch position because once I'm down there I can't get back up. I found that out today. Twice. And now my hip hurts. Fuck it, I'll let the bastards shoot me down before I try that again.



























And then the obligatory Billy Bad Ass pose. Yes I know I'm going to be in a world of hurt when bullets start chipping that granite but hey! it looks cool. Maybe Zoomie could do something with it.
And did you check out the lid I'm wearing? Maybe that III patch will be the last thing a bad guy sees.....


The weapon performed flawlessly, a hell of a lot better than I did. I could feel the action starting to cycle just a little slower at about the 450 round mark but it didn't jam even with double and triple taps. My biggest complaint, believe it or not, is the noise it makes when I push the safety off. I can work with that.
I'm mixed about a sling. Part of me wants to put a simple sling on it, the practical side of me is saying to leave it be, the fucking weapon needs to be in your hands. What the fuck, I carry 550 cord with me if I need to sling it.
I haven't even considered putting any other sight system on it. I love a peep sight for the quick target aquisition - see the target through the little hole and shoot it. I wouldn't even consider changing them out. They suit me, my aging eyes and my confidence just fine.
After I got done shooting I cleaned the weapon and ate my lunch, then using my trusty GPS found my way back to the main road. I mean right back to the main road, without getting twisted and turned even once. That kinda sorta pissed me off because not only did it put me 3 hours ahead of schedule but other than seeing that tree growing out of a boulder (a couple of posts down) I didn't find nothing interesting. I find more cool shit when I totally lost than I do when I'm looking for it and now I'm getting cheated out of it. I may have just gotten lucky the first time out so I'll give it time - if I can get lost with a map and compass I'm sure I can do it with a GPS.

17 comments:

  1. Sounds like a dream day. I've had assorted Ruger handguns for most of my adult life, and they have all functioned extremely well. I'm glad to hear your input on their rifles. I believe I'll have to pick one out for myself - It is fathers day and all!

    Great recount of your day. I'm envious. Thanks.

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  2. In my previous comment I said "it is fathers day". Well, scratch that - my son just informed me it's on the 17th.
    Because your post got me all excited, I'm still going rifle shopping though!

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  3. Kenny,

    A sling is good for more than just carrying the rifle. You can learn (and practice, practice, practice) using it to steady the rifle in all of the various firing positions. It can really make a difference. Jeff Coper goes through them in his book The Art of the Rifle. Good read, and some excellent info in there.

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  4. You shoot lefty Ken? I'm left handed but right eye is dominant, I can shoot pistol either way...

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  5. Sounds like you had a great day.
    And you shoot WAAAY better than I do!
    I'm not bad with a pistol, but I only got into rifle shooting in the last year or so, so I have a long way to go.
    I'd much rather have you guarding my six than stalking it!

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  6. Yeah I know, Reg. I've used one for those purposes in the past. That's one of the reasons I'm considering a simple sling if I do get one.

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  7. I'm right handed but left eye dominant. I shoot rifles and pool left handed, equally good with a handgun either right or left, Dana.
    I know, it's just not my politics and social skills that are fucked up, huh?

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  8. Now it makes sense.. You're a FUCKING LEFTY!!!! Oh and why the muzzle sweepin of camera guy? don't like him much? LOL

    Cool pics though.

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  9. Wasn't sweeping anybody, used the timer on my camera.

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  10. Well since no one was there to harass you I will, 10 round clips? Come on man, your reloading more then shooting..,...oh that's right you live in commiefornia .
    I'll be bet old Diane would be creaming herself to know how many times you had to reload. I also did a bit of blasting with my AR, gotta release the stress, ya know...;)

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  11. I knew it was bound to come up.
    Yes, 10 rounders. The woods are full of wardens and rangers and I wasn't trying to hide with all that shooting. Plus I did need to work on my reloading skills as well.
    Kalifornia.....

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  12. Love the fact that you wanted to get "lost" :) One of my favorite things to do at my old job.

    Hubby's A to B.. where's the fun in that :P

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  13. Did you get to fire aimlessly into the woods for a couple of hours...in all directions?

    I'm systematically hunting Bigfoot in that very fashion and would love to be able to put Sonora Pass in the 'clear' column.

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  14. Kenny, you need to do some research man. You can OWN and Shoot large cap mags in CA. You can't buy/transport/sell/manufacture them in CA. There's a loophole that hasn't been closed yet.
    I found this high cap mag on a gun range it happened to fit my rifle. The law must PROVE you didn't.

    I have found several of them. People are very careless around here. This has been verified and I've been to the range with the very folks that would confiscate them. It's common knowledge among LEO's. That's why they MIGHT ask you where you got them. Answer. I FOUND IT AT MY OUTDOOR SHOOTING AREA. That's it. They can't press charges. They may hold you, they may confiscate but YOU WILL GET IT BACK. Until the law is changed.
    As far as I know right now the law hasn't been changed.

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  15. Thanks, Bro.
    I just don't want to do anything that might draw attention to myself when I'm in III mood.
    But I will check that out.
    Any provisions for AP and tracer ammo?

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  16. Tracer ammo- GLOW kind is legal, the others are semi-legal. However: NOTHING is illegal until you are caught with it or use it. My Motto is I'll get anything I can get legal or otherwise and it goes in a separate SHTF locked cabinet. You know zombies aint goin to kill themselves and I aint got a boat.

    Things like high cap mags which SHOULDN'T BE ILLEGAL IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE are in my everyday spot. I've been one lucky fucker finding some of these just laying around. Wish I was that lucky with the loto..

    High cap mag ban is just a Nany state BS law that says basically, the first 10 motherfuckers you shoot is okay, but that 11th is where we draw the line.

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  17. A long time ago as a boy I was taught by my Grandpa who was a Marine Rifle Marksmanship instructor at Parris Island and later by my Gunnery Sergeant in high school JROTC when I was on the rifle team in competition shooting that the sling is one of the most important tools in securing your rifle in tight for precision marksmanship. Served me well in the NRA matches and JROTC tri-service competitions. In three out of Four years in high school I was king turd on the range in the Georgia/Florida/Alabama field meets. It came in handy always shooting expert on the range in the Army too. Never shot less than 38; which would piss me off to no end.

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